Kamuli, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has flagged off Uganda’s first consignment of Busoga-grown chilli pepper to China, marking a landmark milestone in the region’s agricultural transformation and positioning Busoga as a key player in high-value export farming.
The ceremony, held Thursday, November 20, 2025, in Busambo Village, Namasagali Sub-county, Kamuli District, was attended by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Kataaha Museveni, alongside senior national and local leaders.
President Museveni flagged off three containers carrying 11 tonnes of dried chilli pepper destined for China, describing chilli as a “gold crop” capable of accelerating Busoga’s economic renewal.
“I congratulate the People’s Republic of China for their long-standing cooperation with Africa since 1949. Together, we have flagged off the first container of Uganda chilli for export to China, another milestone in our march to prosperity,” he said.
He applauded farmers for adopting commercial agriculture and emphasised the importance of value-added export crops in boosting household incomes.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East Africa, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, welcomed the achievement but reminded the President of pending commitments essential for unlocking Busoga’s production potential.
“The government must fulfil its commitments, including extending electricity and establishing an industrial park for agro-processing,” she said.
China’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Zhang Lizhong, hailed Uganda’s first shipment under the 2024 Chilli Protocol, signed during the FOCAC Summit, which granted Uganda entry into China’s lucrative spice market.
He announced that China had extended zero-tariff treatment to 98 percent of taxable Ugandan imports. “Uganda now has full access to the Chinese market for chilli. We encourage farmers to increase production because demand is high,” Ambassador Zhang said.
Chairman of the China–Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park, Mr Luo Heng, praised Busoga farmers for supplying over 90 percent of the chilli in the inaugural consignment. He also unveiled new commitments including a pineapple processing plant by Linyi Qiwei Canned Food Co. and a Shs544 billion ($150 million) investment by Little Giants Animal Husbandry in the egg value chain.
Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) Director General, Mr Anthony Mula, said the chilli initiative is expected to uplift household incomes, create employment and shift Busoga from declining sugarcane earnings to reliable export agriculture.
“With the next planting season set for February, farmers are gearing up to expand production as chilli rises as Busoga’s new commercial crop,” Mula said.
The project targets 500 acres of chilli, expected to yield more than 1,500 tonnes of dried chilli annually, valued at over $300 million (about Shs1.097 trillion) in exports. Chinese experts project that farmers could earn more than Shs15 million per acre annually under guaranteed pricing.
The 2024 Chilli Protocol between Uganda and China is now regarded as one of the most transformative agricultural export agreements, opening Uganda to a market of 1.4 billion consumers and boosting foreign exchange earnings while creating thousands of jobs in farming, processing and logistics.
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